[goodpoint]

You very much CAN send electricity long distance and there's been serious discussion of providing electricity for Europe from north Africa.

Producing hydrogen near the ocean and shipping it on a tanker is another realistic alternative.

[ncmncm]

There were huge projects started to site solar farms in Africa, serving Europe.

They collapsed. The reason they collapsed was that there turns out to be less than zero value in siting solar farms in the desert, and solar panels have got so cheap that you do better posting more of them nearby instead of paying for the long cable.

The reason solar farms in the desert have negative value, vs. siting nearby, is that panels in the desert get hotter, so run less efficiently than over water or plant life, and last many fewer years. Furthermore, panels in farmland improve yield and water demand.

[goodpoint]

The question was if it's technically possible - and it is.

Projects like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desertec were based on the cost estimates at the time. Now solar panels are much cheaper and it's a good thing.

[ncmncm]

The cheaper the panels are, the closer by you want them.